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lmland · Jan 11, 2008, 11:42 AM

The mechanic said the plugs and wires are good... any other ideas?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 11, 2008, 11:59 AM

Not really.

lmland · Jan 11, 2008, 02:32 PM

I talked to the mechanic and told him to actually ohms test the spark plug wires and he wouldn't because he says that as long as it's firing they are fine. I've been told it doesn't matter if they fire, there could still be a very high resistance in them causing the coil to go bad. But the car will still fire normally. I also have been hearing that shucks electronics parts are horrible and that I should try a coil from honda or napa... any thoughts?

lmland · Jan 11, 2008, 03:16 PM

Is there a fuse that limits the voltage going into the coil?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 11, 2008, 05:14 PM

There's no such fuse. If you can't determine the cause of the problem, then try substituting a genuine Honda coil or the TEC coil (OEM) I discussed before.

lmland · Jan 11, 2008, 06:32 PM

I got it back and it drives fine as of now, I will keep you posted though. The coil before the last one lasted a week...

lmland · Jan 12, 2008, 02:45 PM

Okay day 2 and the car sounds really bad, it's cutting out again. I think the coils on it's way out again which would put me at # 4. I'm completely lost. The mechanics just keep telling me "I dont know"... and putting a new coil in and saying "I hope its fixed" But there not really doing anything, just putting a new coil in and counting the days before it goes bad. I checked the ohms resistance in the spark plug wires... with the multimeter set at 200K ohms, it would range from 06.5-08.5. Is this an okay range? I'm so lost anymore. Not even the mechanics have the answer. Do you have any ideas what this could be. If the ICM was going bad could it take coils with it? I have to move in a week and I can't keep a coil for more than 2 days. I can't afford to keep taking it to the mechanic and getting no answers in return. When I touch the distributor its too hot to touch is that normal? Any help would be soooo appreciated.

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 12, 2008, 03:40 PM

Try these tests:

. Tachometer Test. Disconnect tachometer wire (if equipped). A shorted tachometer can prevent the vehicle from starting. The blue wire going to the Ignition Control Module (igniter) should be unfastened. Try starting the car again. If it starts, the problem is with the tachometer. If it still doesn't start:

. Power to Distributor Test. Turn ignition OFF. Disconnect the 2-P connector from the distributor. Turn the ignition switch ON. Measure voltage between BLK/YEL (+) terminal and body ground. There should be 12+ volts read. If not, repair open in BLK/YEL wire between the 2-P connector and ignition switch.

Other than what I've already given you, I don't really have any other ideas. If push comes to shove, take it to Honda, not some local mechanic who doesn't specialize in Hondas.

lmland · Jan 12, 2008, 03:52 PM

Thanks I don't have a tachometer, but I will give the other test a shot today. I will let you know how that goes. The car still runs and starts as of now, but it's definitely on its way out like I said. So I'll try that... if you think of anything else let me know. I appreciate it.

lmland · Jan 12, 2008, 04:09 PM

I have 12.55 volts to the blk/ylw wire. That means it's getting the right amount of pwr right?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 12, 2008, 04:15 PM

Correct.

Try disconnecting the BLU wire from the ICM. Verify ICM is good and the correct one. You just need to go over everything and check it out the best you can.

lmland · Jan 12, 2008, 06:17 PM

It's dark here now so I'm going to put everything on hold until tomorrow. What function does the blu wire have? Could a bad ICM be frying coils? I just went out and ran the car. It starts fine and sounds all right at first. As soon as you give hit the gas and get a little bit of RPMs and let off, it drops down into a low low idle and starts missing and kind of backfiring. Pretty close to the symptoms Ive had every other time the coil goes out. I guess one of my main questions is, can an ICM be failing, but not completely failed, and eat the coils like this? I was just thinking along the lines of the first time I replaced the coil and ICM and I left one of the plug wires not all the way in. Maybe it caused stress on the ICM, and actually failed the coil. Then now I keep putting coils in and a failing ICM is causing the coils to burn up? Not sure if that's possible or not? Because the first coil lasted like 300-400 miles... ( I went on a trip with it) Now the coils last about a day (20 Miles if that). Well let me know your thoughts Thanks.

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 13, 2008, 07:24 AM

I would think it's possible; however, I've never seen your problem before.

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 13, 2008, 01:41 PM

After thinking more about your situation, I feel the coils are failing due to a bad ICM. Traditionally, coils fail when they get voltage for too long and overheat. Your ICM is allowing too long a "dwell angle" and overheating the coil. This used to be a problem with taxis cabs, when they would idle too long waiting for customers. Bottom line is your aftermarket ICM is bad. Substitute another brand, preferable a Honda OEM part, ensuring it's the correct one for your specific distributor. ICMs have sophisticated microchips inside and there is a compatibility or other problem with your ignitor.

lmland · Jan 13, 2008, 05:09 PM

Thanks. I took the ICM back to Autozone because they said they would exchange it and they said that it is good so they wouldn't give me a new one. But what you're saying is that it's a compatibility issue? I took the coil out today and once again I have 1.5 on the primary. I'm confused as to why the first coil failed both the primary and secondary tests and now every coil after that fails ONLY the primary. From my understanding, the secondary is the one that goes to your plugs, and wires so that would mean it doesn't really have anything to do with the plugs and plug wires right? I'm also still confused as to why the first coil lasted so many more miles than the rest of them? I feel these are all clues to what's happened here with the car but just can't quite piece them all together. I did return the coil from shucks for a refund, but haven't decided where to get the new one. I wasn't in a huge rush to go get one because I don't want to put it in until I solve the problem. Do you think it's the igniter still? Thanks

lmland · Jan 13, 2008, 05:11 PM

Also could it be the distributor its self, or the ECU causing these problems? Or no?

lmland · Jan 13, 2008, 05:25 PM

I'm looking up an new ICM on Rock Auto.com and there's 2 listings "Control Module" and "Ignitor". The honda part is under "Ignitor". Which one am I supposed to go to? Also if I have a "Tec" distributor, and I put a part in this that is not "Tec" does that mean it's not compatible. Because the original coil taken out of the car is a Tec, also the ignitor is not specifically for a tec distributor either. Do these things matter?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 13, 2008, 05:42 PM

TEC means made by Tokyo Electric Company. TEC makes OEM parts for Honda. I installed a TEC replacement coil in my Civic--the original OEM coil was also made by TEC for Honda.

I suppose the problem could be caused by the ECM--I have never run into anything like your problem before. My position is that Honda ECMs should be replaced every 120,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first.

lmland · Jan 13, 2008, 05:44 PM

So after that information do you still think it's the ICM or no?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jan 13, 2008, 05:53 PM

I'm more inclined to think ICM.

Why don't you perform the K-Test on your ECM and see what it reads?